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TIL that, west of Illinois, zero Groundhog Day predictors are actual, alive groundhogs

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via reddit.com

9w05Q TIL that in October 1972, Nick Begich, a member of the US Congress representing Alaska, died in a plane crash. Despite this, he still stood in the November 1972 general election and won, defeating 2nd place Don Young by over 7 percentage points.
0d4mL TIL: The oldest condoms ever found so far are dated between 1642 and 1647. They were probably made from pig or sheep intestines. They were found during an Archaeological excavation in the cesspit of Dudley Castle in West Midlands, England.
1alv4 TIL that the French general that lost the battle of Trafalgar, was found dead a year later in a French hotel with six stab wounds in his left lung and one in his heart. His death was ruled a suicide. This verdict was heavily mocked by contemporary British press.
xVrng TIL that during the Age of Exploration (1500-1800) at least 2 million sailors died from scurvy.
neWJb In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a poor woman with a middle-school education, made one of the greatest medical contributions ever. Her cells, taken from a cervical-cancer biopsy, became the first immortal human cell line—the cells reproduce infinitely in a lab. Although other immortal lines have since been established, Lacks's "HeLa" cells are the standard in labs around the world. Together they outweigh 100 Empire State Buildings and could circle the equator three times.